The field of the invention is generally related to holding/carrying means for portable telephones and other personal items. In particular, the present invention is directed to a holder that retains a portable telephone and other useful items in a readily accessible position on the body of a user.
In order to insure the maximum utilization of a portable telephone for receiving incoming calls and placing out-going calls, a user frequently carries the telephone by some type of holding means on or near their body. For example, users often carry their portable telephones inside a purse, pocket or backpack. In addition, holding means such as pouches, “fanny-packs”, and other telephone holders have also been used as carrying means for the portable telephone that can be worn on the body of the user. However, when receiving an incoming call while carrying the portable telephone in these ways, the user is often rushed when attempting to answer the call due to having to locate and extract the portable telephone from inside of one of the holding/carrying means discussed above. In these situations, the user often misses the incoming call and thus, the maximum utilization of the portable telephone is reduced.
As portable telephones diminished in size and weight, smaller portable telephone holders that could be attached externally to the holding/carrying means discussed above and that could provide improved accessibility for the user were envisioned. For example, the portable telephone holder could be attached to a strap of a purse, outside of a pocket or to the side of a backpack. In this way, the portable telephone would be more accessible to the user since they would no longer have to extract the phone from inside the holding/carrying means. An additional benefit of locating the smaller portable telephone holders externally is the capability to extend the antenna on the telephone to enhance the ability of the telephone to receive incoming calls without removing the portable telephone from the holder.
Further, smaller portable telephones have allowed for the expansion of the functionality of the portable telephone holder to also providing holding/carrying means for other personal items. For example, the portable telephone holder may also be used to carry items normally found in a purse, such as a cigarette lighter, lipstick, combs, or other personal care products; or in a wallet, such as cash, credit cards or personal identification. That is, a versatile portable telephone holder could also provide the functionality of a purse or wallet. This additional functionality could be particularly useful considering the heightened concerns about homeland security in today's world. Due to these concerns, users are often required to frequently show picture identification or other personal credentials that are typically carried inside a purse or wallet. Thus, there is an increasing need for users to always carry such credentials and to be able to quickly and easily access and display these forms of personal identification.
Some examples of the background art in this field of invention include U.S. Pat. Nos. D371,137; D395,545; and D451,915. In particular, these design patents disclose cellular telephone holders with an upwardly opening receptacle for holding a portable telephone. However, a possible shortcoming of the cellular telephone holders discussed above is that their upwardly opening receptacles may not provide sufficient restraint or security for the portable telephone in all environments. That is, a portable telephone in a holder using the configurations discussed above could potentially fall out of the holder or be easily stolen from the holder.
Other examples of background art in this field of invention include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,358,159; 5,586,704; and 6,543,661. Each of the patents discussed above disclose a shoulder holster or harness for holding a portable telephone. However, both the 159′ and 704′ patents have the same shortcoming of an upwardly open receptacle for the telephone, as discussed above. In addition, both the 159′ and 704′ secure the telephone so tightly to the body of user that a potential benefit, the quick and easy access to both sides of the portable telephone holder, is not an option.
Further, the 661′ patent discloses a shoulder harness for carrying personal items on an upper body portion of a user. The shoulder harness of the 661′ patent includes a main harness member designed to be worn over the shoulders of a user that includes a plurality of detachable holders for carrying personal items. However, the 661′ patent does not provide the ability to quickly and easily access and display such personal items as identification cards and credit cards without detaching a holder, opening the holder and extracting the cards. That is, these credentials are not easily accessible while the holders are attached to the shoulder harness.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a holding/carrying means for both a portable telephone and other personal items that provides for both maximum utilization of the portable telephone and quick and easy access to the personal items.